(submitted by Emily Zuccaro)
President Barack Obama proposed a 70.7 billion budget for the Education Department, an increase of 5.4% from the previous year’s funding. The budget proposal is set to increase early learning program, promote more equitable opportunities for all students, making college more affordable, and support teachers and teacher leaders.
High Quality Early Learning Programs
-$75 billion dollars over 10 years for the Preschool for All program for universal high quality preschool programs from low and moderate income families
-$750 million dollars for Preschool Development Grants
See more on Preschool here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/early-childhood
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/preschooldevelopmentgrants/index.html
Equitable Learning Opportunities
-$2.7 billion dollars for all programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (now updated to Every Student Succeeds Act)
-$175 million dollars for more work to improve the lives of students with disabilities
Higher Education Access
-Free community college for responsible students (earning good grades, staying on track) to acquire the first half of a bachelor’s degree through America’s College Promise
-Investments of $29.7 billion to Pell Grants- grants given to students who are from low-income families
-$200 million to the American Technical Training Fund to expand job prospects
See more information on America’s College Promise and Pell Grants here:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/pell
Teacher and Teacher Leader Support
-$5 billion over 5 years for supporting states and districts in preparing new teachers and strengthening professional development support
-$350 million dollars for grants for new system implementations
Additional funding includes investments in practices that already work, including more money to programs such as Investing in Innovation and First in the World grants.
According to the press release, “the President emphasized that education is a vital investment in America’s economic competitiveness, in its communities, and in its people. The President’s 2016 budget is designed to bring middle class economics into the 21st Century and shows what we can do if we invest in our nation’s future and commit to an economy that rewards hard work, generates rising incomes, and allows everyone to share in the prosperity of a growing America.”
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